BRIEF: Times In-Depth: For Erie police, dealing with mentally ill is big part of job

June 22--Three times a day, every day, Erie police respond to calls about individuals in some kind of mental health crisis.

As the Erie County Prison has expanded its services to treat the mentally ill, the Erie police have broadened their training to address mental illness on the street.

Erie Police Chief Randy Bowers said lack of funds has prevented the city from re-establishing a police unit dedicated to assisting on mental-health calls. Bower said the city has worked instead to train all of his officers to recognize situations where mental health problems, and not criminality, fuel the problem.

"I just can't stress enough, if it is recognized as a mental health problem, that is the direction we are going to try, unless the seriousness of the crime is such we have no other option," Bowers said. "Sometimes, it ends up as a combination of arrest and treatment."

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